A point of angst throughout the St. George community a year ago now just may be a point of pride.

That location is the St. George Animal Shelter. And it recently was the host of a grand re-opening to show the public just how far the facility has come since it made headlines last year in the heat of summer and the heat of city council and mayoral elections. In July 2013, about 120 animal advocates attended a St. George City Council work meeting urging elected officials to make the city’s facility into a no-kill shelter.

It was about that time that defects within the shelter became more widely known throughout the community. Advocates alleged that animals were locked in kennels and couldn’t go outside, and they said some animals were euthanized using improper procedures. An ensuing investigation prompted a changeover in the shelter’s leadership and dramatic changes in the facility and its practices.

Now, the shelter just off Red Hills Parkway operates as a no-kill shelter, meaning any animal believed to be adoptable is not euthanized.

Animals now have beds. Cats now have access to an outside patio on which they can roam, and they can sleep on a variety of cat towers and rocks. Dogs have two fenced areas for exercise and for mingling with potential adopters. The facility also has updated its policies for cleaning the shelter and caring for the animals.

The changes required considerable effort. And while it’s easy to say — and true — that the city should never have allowed the conditions to deteriorate to the degree at which they did, what’s most important for the animals cared for now and in the future is that the shelter be in good condition going forward.

It’s only fair that if the city has to accept criticism for the poor conditions the shelter once had that the city now receive some praise for correcting the situation. Indeed, the changes at the shelter have been positive, and animals who end up there now have a chance to be happy while they wait for an opportunity to find a new “forever home.”

The public can do its part by spaying or neutering their pets to help control the populations. And when your family is considering adding a pet to the household, visit one of the area shelters to adopt a cat or dog. It can provide an animal with a loving family while providing the family with a new companion.

The changes at the St. George Animal Shelter are upgrades the community can be proud of.